This film is part of the beginning of the New Mexican Cinema, based in a true story and made like an example of the uncertain time in Mexico after 1968 and how can be influenced a entire town against a group of people whom their only sin was; be a student.
Plot summary
In 1968, four University of Puebla employees on a mountain climbing trip were attacked and beaten, and two people were killed, by the townspeope of San Miguel de Canoa. The mob violence was apparently incited by a local priest, who had been warning the townspeope that leftists from the city would be coming to kill him. Felipe Cazals' retelling of this real-life tragedy unfolds as a faux docmuentary. There is a narrator who provides context as we are shown a landscape of rural poverty and clerical power. Cazals made the film in 1975 as a metaphor for the massacre of students in the Plaza de las Tres Culturas in the Mexico City district of Tlatelolco on October 2, 1968 a massacre the truth of which is still not known.
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Prejudices don't kill people, people with prejudices do.
Canoa : This classic by Mexican director Felipe Cazals is as relevant now as it was in 1976.
For a knowledgeable viewer, there is no doubt that "Canoa" has become a major classic film due to various artistic as well as political reasons. It was one of the first films in the history of Mexican cinema to show that even history especially historical events can be given a fictional form. While watching "Canoa" one can easily understand how Christian religion especially catholic church was unjustly misused for one's personal gains.The use of a local character to narrate important facts and story works very well for "Canoa". A viewer is able to get detailed visual information of events which were responsible for horrible lynching of some youngsters by an irate mob. Authenticity seems to be this film's hallmark as viewers are likely to feel as if tragic events had taken place in their midst. For this reason, Felipe Cazals chose to depict important events through a time prism. Lastly, there are moments when a human body can withstand any amount of blows. One such moment was shown in Canoa when a doctor is utterly surprised to find a victim of violence in good shape. Director Felipe Cazals has always made films which have cast a poignant look at negative aspects of Mexican nation. His films need to be discovered by viewers if they wish to learn more about Mexican society. Hence, for this reason any effort to appreciate Canoa can be called a good start.
A great hard to watch movie
This was a hard film to watch .. not because it was a bad movie or something but because the story it was telling .. and what made it even harder is the fact that it was based on a true story .. a great movie that will leave you shocked, angry and vindictive but as a viewer satisfied.